Innis & Gunn Spiced Rum Finish

Every Christmas I usually get an abundance of beer. Some years I get some amazing gifts, such as DeuS Brut des Flandres. This year, the LC here had a much more minimal beer selection. For gift sets, they had Innis & Gunn or Alexander Keith's. Not much option, really. So, I got an Innis & Gunn Gift Set, which includes a Winter Ale, Spiced Rum Finish and Original I&G beers, as well as a glass.

First off, I am trying their Spiced Rum Finish Ale.

Appearance: It has a rich honey/amber reddish colour to it, clear. Looks like it's going to be a very sweet beer. The head is minimal but not going anywhere, eggshell white, slightly cream.

Aroma: Reminds me a bit of your standard domestic rum. It also has a rich caramel aroma, as well as a bit of oak. Similar to the Canadian Whisky Cask I had a while back.

Taste: Usually when you drink a spirit-influenced beer, you might only notice it in the aroma, while the taste is usually just sweet or bitter (depending on the spirit used). This one tastes like rum, almost as if you had a glass of Innis & Gunn and put a shot of rum into it. At the back of the tongue it has a bit of what I feel is a combination of coconut, oak and vanilla. Very much a Caribbean influenced beer. It's sweet, as expected from an Innis & Gunn.

Overall Thoughts: Perhaps this is one of the most rum/whisky/rye flavoured beers I've ever had. It's quite interesting. I'm not a fan of rum of any sorts, but part of this Innis & Gunn beer, it's quite interesting. Very rummy. I could see this as a dessert beer, it's quite sweet, and would accompany a nice rich dessert. So if that's your thing.. check it out! If you're not a fan of rum or sweet tasting beer, it may not be your thing. As I'm typing this, I'm getting a bit of a warmth from the beer. The Spiced Rum Finish is 6.9% ABV. A 3 Pack (plus glass) cost around $16 before tax, so it's a bit pricey, but a decent Christmas gift.

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